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(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Around 30 teams representing 20 Arab and Asian countries are participating in the first edition of the Asian Arabic Debating Championship in Kuala Lumpur, organised by QatarDebate.

The Qatar Foundation member, in collaboration with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), officially launched the championship during an opening ceremony.

 Abdulrahman I al-Subaie, head of the outreach programme at QatarDebate, said the focus of the tournament is on 'reviving the art of debate

'This important event signifies how far QatarDebate's efforts to invest in youth, who make up one of the most important pillars of our societies, have reached, he said.
'This championship is the fruit of QatarDebate's goal of taking the art of debate to the rest of the world. We continue with our mission to organise international championships outside Qatar, by launching the first Asian Arabic Debating Championship.

Al-Subaie emphasised, 'Through this championship, we seek to promote the power of dialogue and to revitalise the Arabic language, which has become entrapped by other languages, and by the colloquial dialects in various countries.

Dr Zulkifli bin Hasan, associate professor and deputy director, Student Development & Community Engagement at IIUM, said, 'I am grateful to QatarDebate for choosing the International Islamic University Malaysia as the hosting partner for this championship, and I wish all the students a pleasant intellectual journey through it.

The ceremony was also attended by Zuraida Kamaruddin, Malaysia's Minister of Housing and Local Government, Dr Hayat Abdullah Marafi, executive director of QatarDebate, and young participants including Maryam al-Hani, a student at the American University of Beirut, who said: 'This is the second time that I have participated in a championship with QatarDebate, and the reason is that I believe that young people have to place dialogue and debate at the centre of our agendas.

On the first day of the tournament, teams participated in competitive debate sessions, some of which see students arranged in teams made up of contestants with similar debating levels, while the first round saw participants being randomly placed into teams. 

The motion in the first round discussed the topic of organ donation, with the second round's motion being 'Adapting to climate change is better than combating it.
Three rounds took place on the second day, with debates focusing on companies employing ex-prisoners, whether organisations addressing female-focused topics and issues should employ males, and the motion, 'Labour strikes in education and health jobs are a crime. The Asian Arabic Debating Championship continues until tomorrow.